With Nimble Feet
by Akela-Nakamura
Summary: "Two days ago, lightning had crashed around Kardia Cathedral, and for the second time, Gajeel had defended her against Laxus's anger." Title based on Oscar Wild's The Ballad of Reading Gaol. Short drabble about Levy, a thunderstorm, and her mixed feelings and confusion over Gajeel. Set two days after The Fighting Festive Arc. A Speechless writing challenge.


**This was written for FTfanfic's _Speechless_ challenge on Tumblr. The idea was to write a story, 100-1000 words long, without any dialogue, based on a single word's definition. **

**My word was given to me by SnogFairy. (She has a blog on Tumblr and an FF by that name).**

 **The word was:** Alacrity: Brisk and cheerful readiness.

 **My count came to 999. I like cutting it close.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

It was the sound of fists crashing together to make a titanic boom that woke her. It sounded as if a war was waging outside her window, and only the steady sound of rain slamming onto the ground told her the explosions were simply thunder.

As she woke more, it became more and more obvious that it was Mother Nature battling outside, and not a dark guild.

Still, the sound of thunder booming, and the brilliant flashes of lightning illuminating her room made her think of magick colliding and fists smashing into faces.

It made her think of battles won and lost, of spilled blood and clenched teeth. Of victorious proclamations and bitter defeat.

She slid out of bed, padding between lopsided piles of books and shadowed bookcases. She opened her thin curtains more, cocking her head at the angry sky above.

No moon peeked through the dark clouds, and the stars were quiet.

Levy tucked her legs under herself, sitting atop the window seat she often curled up in to read or take a nap after a hard job.

It was also a good place to watch a thunderstorm.

But her mind wasn't on the thunder booming above, or the lightning forking its way across the sky.

Two days ago, lightning had crashed around Kardia Cathedral, and for the second time, Gajeel had defended her against Laxus's anger.

The first time, he'd taken a bolt of lightning in the arm for her, even after her best friends had taken turns beating on him.

So now, seeing the lightning crash around her, brought a thrill of fear that she ignored.

She remembered the first time she'd seen Gajeel after the Phantom incident. How the fear of him, and what he was capable of, had shot through her like tiny bolts of electricity, every bit as painful and disorienting as Laxus's lightning.

Makarov had taken ShadowGear aside, and explained to them why _he_ was in the Guild. Jet and Droy had demanded _he_ be removed immediately, but Levy, even in her fear, saw what the Master was doing. She saw the logic, even when she wanted to cower behind the bar.

So she'd told Master that it was okay, that she knew Fairy Tail wouldn't let _him_ hurt her, or her friends, again.

It had been awkward, and strange and weird and scary to see him in the guild most days. It gave her a jolt most of the time, seeing him, the man of many a nightmare sitting at a table, a Fairy Tail mark on his arm.

But she endured. She couldn't change the past. She couldn't change the man he'd been. She could look to the future, and see the potential for a strong ally. Maybe they'd never be friends, and maybe she'd fear him-or at least be wary of him-for months or years to come, but he was _family_ now.

He bore the crest of her family, and even his dark looks, crappy mood, and alienation by most of the guild members couldn't change that.

Then Laxus had come back to town.

And Gajeel had saved her, twice.

He'd complimented her, when she was working on Freed's enchantments.

So now she didn't know what to think, or how to feel.

She opened her window with a testy shove, sticking her hand out in the rain, and finding it warm. She slapped the window closed, and once again navigated between her personal book booby traps.

She opened her door, padding quietly down the hallway in her barefeet. She didn't know the time, but she'd gone to bed at midnight, before the storm had broken, and judging by the utter silence in the girls' dorm, it was very late.

She went outside, wanting to feel the spark of electricity in the air, needing the wildness in the storm. It matched her wild emotions.

Her nightgown instantly clung to her, soaked in mere seconds by the unrelenting rain. Thunder shook the ground, vibrating in the air.

Lightning crackled above her.

She spun, and twirled, and spun again. Her feet slapped against the wet grass, and she danced to a tune no one else could hear.

Power surged through her. The power of being at one with nature, of feeling the crash and burn of a storm.

She didn't know why Gajeel had protected her, or why he seemed different from the Gajeel she'd formed in her head. The one that had beaten her and friends and hung them for the world to see like sick Christmas ornaments.

Levy was smart. She knew she couldn't figure him out if she kept avoiding him. She had to know. She had to be ready for the changes that being in Fairy Tail seemed to have brought.

Levy didn't have an answer to this, as she usually did. She could only face this situation head on, and hope for the best.

The warm rain dripped down her hair, and for once it was tamed, forced flat by the weight of the water.

She didn't know what this storm might bring, no more than she knew what Gajeel might do next. But she was ready, braced for the next booming crash of thunder in the same way she was braced for the next act of kindness or regret Gajeel might show.

She smiled brightly at nothing, spreading her arms to catch the water. And then she was laughing, picking up the pace of her dance until she was breathless.

It wasn't often she indulged in childishness. She hadn't danced in the rain in years.

A weight lifted from her shoulders, a hundred worries melted from her chest.

It didn't matter what Gajeel did next, or what Fairy Tail would face-be it a dark guild or an attempted coup. It didn't matter what was lurking just beyond the next hill, or what waited tomorrow. It didn't matter when the next thunderclap would burst above her. It simply didn't.

She was happy. And she was ready.

* * *

 **I hope you liked it. :)**

 **I'm sorry for _Natsu: The Friendly Demon_ being so late. I promise I haven't forgotten it, and that I'll try to get it up soon. Enjoy this until then. **

**And for those of you who read my last A/N on NTFD, and may be wondering, yes, my dog is gone. I'll explain more when I get the next chapter of NTFD up.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please drop a review. :D**


End file.
